The present invention relates to an adjustable cable sheath terminal and, more particularly, to an adjustable cable sheath terminal for use in the automobile industry and in mechanical control devices. The adjustable sheathed cable described here particularly is useful for adjustment of the length of a sheathed cable.
Cables provided with protective sheaths or with sheaths adapted to any other function or purpose, are widely used in all kinds of mechanical applications where the transmission of forces or of movements between the source and receiver must be carried out with nonrigid links. Examples of such cables include, among others, the control cables used in the automobile industry which, among other functions, connect the clutch pedal to the corresponding clutch mechanism, interconnections of parts of the brake systems, or act as link between the gear shift lever and the gear box, as link between the hood opening control and the hood for the engine, and as links between the speedometer on the vehicle dashboard and the gear box.
A crucial factor for the optimum operation of a force transmission device using a cable of the above-mentioned type is the need to have the appropriate length of cable in each particular case. In view of the peculiar features of the installation of control cables in motor vehicles and the features corresponding to each type of cable with its specific connection and sheath terminals, the aforesaid condition makes it necessary to have recourse to more or less structurally and operationally complex devices which allow the length of the sheathed control cable to be adjusted at the points, depending on the structure of the vehicle itself or on assembly conditions.
The devices described in Spanish Patent P8803905, "Control Cable Tension Self-Adjusting Device", and in Spanish Patent P8901238, "Adjustable Connecting Device" are examples of the above described devices. In the former patent, Spanish Patent P8903905, the sheathed cable length is adjusted automatically by a spring which, initially compressed, is released, when the device is used; and in the latter patent, Spanish Patent P8901238, the adjustment of the sheathed control cable length is effected manually without using springs.
In both cases, i.e. in Spanish Patents P8803905 and P8901238, both the large number of component parts of the devices and their respective structures and designs have the drawback of a high production cost and limited operational flexibility which limits their possible uses.